Niccolo Gualtieri (1688-1744) (Italy, 18th Century)

Six magnificent 18th-century hand-colored copperplate engravings of seashells by Niccolo Gualtieri (1688-1744) from Index Testarum Conchyliorum (Index of Mollusk Shells), printed in Florence in 1742. Gualitieri is considered a pioneer of conchology and this work is considered a masterpiece of 18-century illustrated malacological literature. The engravings are archivally mounted in mats with custom hand-painted French mat decoration, including hand-cut Japanese gold paper, and framed in custom antique-white frames.